Transformation
by Allonswolfe
Summary: Belle French was only a little child when she met the strange, outcast boy named Rumpelstiltskin. They become best friends and learn more about each other every day. Eventually, time gets between them and tears them apart for many years. They will reunite, but will they ever be the same? Once Upon a Time AU fic. Eventual Rumbelle.
1. Chapter 1

**Transformation**

_**A/N: Okay so this fic came to me after reading a fic called Danse Macabre by Rumbella of . It was a great fic and you should totally read it! It's not complete, but I'm sure they will update when they are able to.**_

_**This is definitely AU. No doubt. I also recently saw Frozen and kinda got a few ideas there. It basically starts out with child!Belle and Rumple and they meet and have a friendship, until time tears them apart. I hope you enjoy. Any reviews would be greatly appreciated.**_

**Chapter one**

Belle woke with a start. She sat bolt upright in her small bed and got up and ran to the window. A fresh blanket of snow covered the land. She couldn't hide her excitement. The girl loved it when it snowed. She didn't especially like summer because where her castle was located, the temperatures got very hot. She rushed to her dresser and pulled out a brush and haphazardly ran it through her chestnut curls. Her hair was typically wild in the morning. She went to her closet and pulled out one of her favorite dresses, a plain sky blue with a white blouse underneath and some brown furry boots. She found her cloak and rushed downstairs. Her father was the lord of the land and was very busy, especially with the ogre wars. They just won a brutal war, but it was won with help from other lands. The ogres would soon come back in seek of revenge.

She tied the cloak around her and went out one of the main doors. One of the guards saw her and stopped her.

"Where are you headed, milady?" he asked in a mildly amused tone.

"Out to the woods to play in the snow, sir," the girl replied politely.

"Be mindful of the cold and remember to look out for ogres," the guard warned. Belle nodded understandingly before whisking around and trudging through the calf-deep snow. The day was a sunny but bitterly cold one. She tightened her cloak and walked faster toward the sheltering trees of the woods. She entered the woods and was relieved. The cold was less brutal and the wind was broken by the leaves of the thick evergreens. She walked further into the woods and wondered how so much snow got into the woods through the needles of the pines protecting it. The snow was ankle-deep now. In that moment, Belle was very grateful of her fur boots. She had received them for her seventh birthday three months ago.

Belle kept onward, delving deeper into the thick woods. She was stepping over an overturned log when she heard a low snarl. She stepped onto the log and looked around. She saw a blur of gray and realized exactly what was lurking amidst the trees. The small beast revealed itself and snarled at her, lips drawn back to reveal a set of razor-sharp teeth. Fear found its way into the girl and her heart began racing. The wolf gave a howl and three others appeared by its side. Belle knew the creatures would outrun her, but she also knew they would surely jump atop her if she stayed there upon the log. She did all she could think of. She crouched slowly as to not spook the wolves and curled into a ball, hands on the back of her neck. One of the wolves gave a small yelp of triumph. Belle squeezed her eyes as she heard the animals close in on her. She felt one of the wolves' breath hot on her hands.

Suddenly, she heard the distinctive sound of an arrow being fired from a crossbow and heard one of the wolves yelp and fall. Belle uncovered her head and peered up. She couldn't see much around her hair, which had gotten undone from its braid sometime earlier when she was running. Another shot, another wolf fallen. One last shot, and the last wolf fell. Belle still trembled in her little ball. She heard light footsteps and heard a small voice.

"You're okay, you can come out," it said. It had a strange accent, the voice. The speaker was not of her land. She tentatively uncurled and sat on the log and faced the speaker. It was a human boy, maybe a year or so older than herself. He had longer-than-average dirty blond hair that came to his shoulder and bangs that stopped just over his brown eyes. He was a skinny thing, skinnier than Belle. She could see each of his ribs through his clothing and his cheekbones stuck out from his tanned face.

"Thank you," Belle said gratefully. The boy had saved her life. He gave a dismissive wave.

"No matter," he said in his strange voice.

"What is your name?" Belle asked. The boy cleared a spot in the snow and sat, just across from the log.

"What's yours?" he challenged. Belle cocked an eyebrow.

"I asked first," she objected. The boy gave a tiny scoff; so tiny Belle was only half sure that he actually scoffed.

"Okay then. Rumpelstiltskin." He faintly rolled his "r". Belle assumed that had something to do with the strange accent the boy possessed. Belle couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips.

"Rumble-hill-fin?" she asked with a grin. The boy shook his head patiently.

"No, no. Rump-ell-stilt-skin," he corrected. Belle tried the name out silently before saying it aloud.

"Rumple-stilt-skin?" she asked, more confidently this time. The boy gave a shy smile.

"Yep, that's it. What is yours?" he asked.

"Belle. Belle French," she said.

"Belle. That's pretty. I wish my name was pretty," he said with a bowed head.

"You name is not ugly," she said firmly, "just different." The boy looked up at her.

"Really? It's not? Most people laugh at my name or think I'm not serious when I tell it," he said.

"They just have no imagination. It's unique and I like it. 'Belle' is boring. Only one syllable. Yours has four!" she said. Rumpelstiltskin cocked his head.

"Syllables?" he asked. Belle's eyes widened.

"Surely you know what a syllable is," she said in disbelief. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head slowly.

"Afraid I don't," he said. Belle was shocked.

"Don't you read?" she asked. He shook his head yet again.

"No. Never learned," he said. An idea found Belle's mind.

"I could teach you!" she said with excitement.

"Really?" he asked. Belle nodded.

"You could ask your mama or papa if you could come to my castle so I can teach you. Surely, they'd like their son to grow up a reader," Belle said. Something triggered her new friend. He lowered his head and sadness clouded his eyes. Belle instantly felt bad, even though she was unsure of what she had done to upset the boy.

"I- I'm sorry," she said. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head.

"No, no. It's just that I don't have any parents. My mama died years ago and my papa cast me out. He said he was never meant to be a father," the boy said sadly. Belle got off the log and sat by him and put a hand on his arm. He tensed under her touch and Belle wondered if he had never been comforted.

"You can come live with me at my father's castle. There's plenty of room and I'm sure my father would allow it," Belle offered. Rumpelstiltskin brushed her hand off his arm and shook his head. .

"I've lived out here in these woods for almost a year. I'll be okay," he said. Belle frowned.

"But it's so cold and you have so little clothing," Belle pointed out. The boy was in a tight, thin shirt and baggy, holey pants. His shoes were leather and had holes in the soles. His shirt thankfully had long sleeves, but it was still nothing compared to the land's brutal winters.

"I've survived this long," the boy pointed out. Belle was surprised at how much older his speech was than his body. His eyes too. He had the eyes of an old traveler who had no home. Maybe that's what he was; a lone traveler with no home.

"Really, Belle, I'll be fine. I'm sure you have other worries. Balls and banquets to attend to," he said.

"I don't live in a kingdom. My father is a lord, not a king. I am not a princess," Belle said. Rumpelstiltskin looked mildly surprised.

"You look like one," he said matter-of-factly. Belle felt herself blush.

"You think? I'm certainly not near as fancy and proper," she pointed out.

"You're pretty enough," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Please," Belle said dismissively. He shrugged. Belle glanced at his crossbow.

"Where did you get your bow?" she asked. Rumpelstiltskin picked up the small bow. It was made of quality wood and looked to be handcrafted.

"I, uh, sort of stole it," Rumpelstiltskin admitted. Belle's eyes widened.

"You _stole_?" she asked with disbelief. He nodded slowly.

"From my father, the one who sent me away," he said.

"Why did your father send you away, Rumpelstiltskin?" Belle asked cautiously.

"He didn't want me. He didn't think we could be a family. I tried to prove to him I could be a good son, but he didn't listen," he said softly. Belle looked down. This boy was lonely and troubled. He needed a friend. As did she. None of the children in her land liked her all too much. They thought she was different, therefore not worthy of their friendship. They thought it was bad to read a book rather than plan a future that is still ages off.

"We could be friends," Belle said. Rumpelstiltskin looked at her quizzically.

"You need a friend and I need a friend. We could be each other's friends," Belle said. Rumpelstiltskin gave a faint smile.

"I'd like that," he said. Belle grinned widely.

"Good! Would you let me bring you food? You're so thin," she said. Rumpelstiltskin seemed to consider this for a while.

"I suppose you won't stop offering it so sure. Bring the food," he said with exasperation. Belle laughed.

"You're different and I like it. All the kids in my land, all they care about is marrying, having babies, and hunting," she said. Rumpelstiltskin gave a small laugh. The sound was magical to Belle. She succeeded in making a lost soul happy. That was one of her biggest dreams. To make a lost person found.

"Same with my land. They never want to go on adventures or explore. They just want to be ordinary. I don't want to be ordinary. I want people to remember the name 'Rumpelstiltskin' even after I die," he said boldly. Gods, this boy was ambitious. Belle found it interesting. Not many children were this ambitious. It was a good quality. The heroes in Belle's books were often as ambitious. This boy could be a hero. This boy could use his ambition for good.

"I'm sure they will. Anyone who meets you will not soon forget you," Belle said honestly. Rumpelstiltskin grinned. Belle heard a horse in the background. It was surely someone sent to look for her and bring her back to the castle.

"I will bring you the food tonight. Look to the north at the castle. There's a tower facing the woods. There's a window on the top. A light will flash in the window. That will let you know that I am on my way," Belle assured. Rumpelstiltskin nodded.

"Thank you, Belle French," he said. Belle got up and brushed off her dress and looked back at the boy. He was getting up and turning to leave.

"Goodbye, Rumpelstiltskin," she said as he disappeared into the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the first and sorry about that. I'll try to make them longer. Any reviews would be greatly appreciated :) .**_

**Chapter two**

Belle got off the horse and walked back into the castle. Her father stood in the door and smiled down at her. He swooped her up into a hug.

"What have you been doing all day, my girl?" he asked. He let her down and they sat in one of the castle's sitting rooms, in front of a roaring fire.

"I played in the snow," she said.

"That all?" he asked.

"Well, I made a friend," she said carefully. Her father's eyebrows rose.

"Did you now? Who?" he asked gently.

"He was a boy named Rumpelstiltskin," she said. Her father smiled.

"That's nice, dear," he said warmly.

"He, he saved me," Belle said. Moe frowned and looked at her with new found concern.

"From what?"

"Three wolves in the forest," she said. When her father gave her a horrified look, she quickly added, "But he saved me, Papa. Rumpelstiltskin, he had a bow and he saved me." Her father seemed to contemplate this for a while.

"Any savior of my little girl is a friend of mine," he said finally. Belle smiled, relieved. She wasn't too sure what her father would think of her meeting a strange boy in the forest, but he seemed okay with it.

"I must meet this Rumpelstiltskin," he said suddenly. Belle gulped. Rumpelstiltskin had turned down her offer to live in the castle fairly stoutly. She wondered if he just didn't want to meet her father.

"Maybe," she said absently. She looked out the window over her father's shoulder and in the direction of the forest in which the boy had been living. She wondered how he lived out there all alone. He didn't have to be so alone now, she thought. She would be his friend. She would help him. She liked helping people. It felt good.

"Belle?" her father's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Yes, papa?" she asked.

"I asked if Rumpelstiltskin would like to join us for dinner sometime," he said. Belle shrugged.

"I'll ask him."

-X-

Belle sat on her bed and swung her legs. Her father was dead-set on meeting Rumpelstiltskin and she doubted her friend was quite so eager to meet her father. She glanced out the window and saw that dusk was falling on the land. She would be summoned for dinner soon. She wondered how she would sneak food out of the kitchen. She went to her closet and found a small purse that she had gotten when she got the fur boots. The purse had a strap that went across her body from one shoulder. It was made of a black leather with golden rose charms on the ends of the zippers. It was big enough to fit at least some food in. She put her hair back into the braid and headed down to the dining room. Her father was sitting at the head of the table and some maids were sitting around the rest of it. Belle sat at her spot at the place beside her father on the left side.

Dinner was lovely. There was lamb and baked potatoes and rolls and corn. She opened her purse in her lap and waited. Dinner was soon over and the maids began cleaning. Belle made it look like she was still eating, and when her father and all the maids were out of sight, she scraped the remainder of her uneaten food into her plastic-lined purse. She made sure none of the food would touch the inside of the purse, then zipped it and folded the flap over and shut the clasp. She returned the purse to the side of her body and headed back to her room.

It was getting late. Belle knew her father would be in soon to kiss her goodnight, so she slipped a nightgown over her dress and put her purse beside her bed so it was out of sight. As predicted, her father appeared moments later. Belle snuggled down into her blankets so none of her dress would show. He stooped over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Goodnight, my girl," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Papa," Belle said back. He patted her on the head and, as he was leaving, blew out the candle. The room was almost pitch-black. The only light was that which came out of the window. Belle waited for a long, long time before silently climbing out of bed. Her clock read one fifteen at night. The castle was sure to be asleep by now. Belle took the nightclothes off and swung the purse on and tied her cloak around her and went to stand by the window. She took a candle and lit it, then blew it out. She repeated this a few times, then put the candle down and quietly climbed downstairs and into one of the bathrooms on the ground floor. There was a window just above the toilet. She climbed onto the toilet and opened the window as silently as she could. The winter air rushed into the room and into her lungs.

She pulled herself up and out of the window. The ground was a short drop and the fresh snow cushioned her landing. She looked around and searched for guards. She knew guards didn't stand watch at this part of the castle, but she wanted to be sure. She walked as quickly as the snow would allow into the coniferous forest. She looked around her. The trees were difficult to see around, but eventually she spotted light from a torch a few yards out to the west. She made her way through the trees and the light grew brighter. She pushed through a final tree and found herself in a small clearing. There was a tightly-woven lean-to braced against the trunk of a large cedar. The torch turned out to be a small campfire in the center of the clearing. The camp was quite cozy, despite the bitter cold. There was a rustle, and then the head of a boy popped out of the lean-to.

Rumpelstiltskin crawled all the way out and sat, leaning against his small shelter. Belle sat on a stone across from him and pulled the food out of her purse. She had used a plastic bag to line the purse so that she could just give the bag to him and not the whole purse. She pulled a fork out and handed the utensil and the food to the boy. He took it and looked at it.

"What is it?" he asked curiously. Belle giggled inwardly at his ignorance to everyday things.

"Lamb and a potato and some rolls," she explained. Rumpelstiltskin nodded and sat it on the ground.

"Thank you," he said. There was serenity in his small voice.

"And you're welcome," Belle returned primly. Belle glanced around the campsite.

"This is a nice camp. How long did it take you? Surely a long time for that lean-to," she asked him. He shrugged one bony shoulder.

"A few days, maybe. It's not as hard as it looks, really. All you do is weave the twigs together. I used to watch Mama weave baskets for my papa when I was a baby and I remember how she did it," he said. His eyes took on a distant look. He did not seem eight or nine. He seemed as wise as Belle's own father. Belle wondered if the boy would make a good leader.

"Don't the twigs break?" Belle asked. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, his hair swishing from the movement.

"Not if you pick the right ones. They have to bend or else they will snap like you think. They have to be strong, however. You're going to be living in the thing, so make sure the twigs are strong enough to trust your life with," the boy said. Belle was really sure he was older that she thought.

"How, how old are you, Rumpelstiltskin?" she asked carefully.

"How old are _you_?" he asked, grinning.

"Nope. Not doing that again. I asked first!" she protested lightheartedly. He gave a small laugh.

"Alright. I'm nine and a half," he said. A little older that she originally guessed, but still younger that his eyes and speech.

"Older than me. I just turned seven," Belle said. Rumpelstiltskin looked surprised.

"All this time I thought you were older than me," he said with a laugh. Belle rose her thin eyebrows.

"Really, why?" she asked.

"You don't speak like a seven year-old," he said.

"_You _don't speak like a nine year-old. Especially one who never learned to read," she remarked.

"My parents read to me, and they both had large vocabularies," he said. Belle nodded with understanding.

"My mama used to read to me each night. The books were big and had grown-up words like 'betrothed' and 'palpable' and 'incoherent'. I learned words like that when I was small. Mama was good to me," Belle said with sadness. Rumpelstiltskin seemed to pick up on her change of mood.

"What happened to her?" he asked. Belle shook her head.

"She died when I was three." Belle reached inside her cloak and pulled out a simple necklace. The necklace was a single diamond on a small gold chain. She held it out so her friend could see it. His eyes widened. She put the necklace back and pulled her braid over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"It's not your fault," Belle said. She hated it when people said they were sorry for something that was completely out of their control.

"Well I know how it feels. It's not a good feeling," he pointed out. Belle nodded.

"No it's not. Even if I didn't know her long," she said. They were quiet for a while, the only sound being the crackle of the fire and the rustle of pine needles in the breeze. Belle got up and brushed her dress clean of dirt and leaves.

"I should go. I don't want my papa to realize I'm gone," she said. Rumpelstiltskin nodded.

"Alright. Thanks for the food," he said. Belle nodded and turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Belle French," he said, echoing yesterday's departure words.

"Goodbye, Rumpelstiltskin," Belle repeated back. She turned fully and went away from the clearing. As she was leaving, she heard him open the bag of food and heard the sound of chewing. She hoped she was helping him. He needed help, or at least a friend. If that was all she could give him, friendship and food, then so be it.

She exited the forest and headed to the castle. The window was still open. She lifted her arms and pulled herself up into the window. She looked out it for a few moments. The sky was still dark, but she could see the faint outline of smoke from her friend's fire floating up into the night air. She looked away and climbed down from the toilet and went silently back to her room and changed fully into her nightgown and put the empty purse on the floor and crawled into bed and shut her eyes. The next time she opened them, dawn was upon the land and the snow was sparkling in the dim sunlight. She detected no smoke from Rumpelstiltskin's camp and assumed it burned out after he had gone to sleep in his little shelter. She wondered why his father would discard of such a great son.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I dunno if this is actually much longer than the others. Ah well. A+ for effort, right? **_

_**Sorry the update was a little later than I thought it was going to be. I was busy with getting a new phone and testing week is approaching (sigh).**_

_**In this, we begin to uncover Rumple's personality a bit more. I also kind of touch on his home life. **_

_**Reviews are greatly appreciated :)**_

**Chapter three**

The snow started falling three days ago. It didn't stop for four more days. A week of straight snow. It was a danger. All Belle could think about was Rumpelstiltskin being alone and cold in the storm. The snow surely covered his lean-to. He was probably trapped. He couldn't light a fire for a week because the heavy snow would put it out. She wondered if he had any of the food left. She wondered if he was the type that scarfed up any and all food all at once or if he saved it for later in case something happened so he couldn't get more. She hoped the last option. She assumed the boy was smart enough to save at least a roll for a rainy- or snowy rather- day. He had been living out there for a year, or so he claimed. She didn't see any reason for him to lie though.

She looked out the window in her room. She had been reading a book when something caught her attention. She strained her eyes to see. Her heart seemed to stop. She saw the distinctive outline of an ogre headed right into the forest towards Rumpelstiltskin's camp. Belle put the book down and ran downstairs and found her father.

"Papa, Papa! I saw an ogre, Papa!" she nearly screeched. Her father put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, my girl, calm down," he soothed. She shrugged his hand off and pulled at his sleeve.

"No, you must have it killed at once," she said in a panicked voice.

"Belle, we've had ogres in the land before and you haven't acted like this," he said.

"Any ogre is bad. Please, Papa, hurry!" Her father furrowed his eyebrows, but got up and ordered a group of knights to kill the beast.

-X-

Rumpelstiltskin woke with a start. He felt the vibrations before he saw what caused them. He got out of his lean-to and looked toward the castle. He saw something moving in the trees. He had never seen a beast like this. It was like a human, but taller and fatter and slightly green. It had no hair and its eyes were blazing. Its hands were massive and had splintering nails. Rumpelstiltskin grabbed his bow and went to shoot it when he realized he had used the last of his arrows on the wolves that were going to kill Belle. He cursed himself for being so careless with his ammunition. He remembered he had missed one of the wolves. He could have used that arrow to kill the monster looming over him.

He escaped his camp and ran further into the forest. The monster seemed to not see him. It did, however, step on and crush the lean-to and fireplace. Rumpelstiltskin watched as the monster neared him. He turned to run, but found himself face-to-face with a white horse. He looked up and saw a knight on the horse. The knight got a bow and drew an arrow and shot it at the beast's head. It struck right between its eyes. The thing toppled over and landed on the boy's camp. It never moved again.

The knight got off the horse and crouched before the boy. He removed his helmet and looked at the boy.

"Hello, there," he said. "Are you alone?" Rumpelstiltskin nodded.

"Come on. I'll take you to the castle and you can talk with Lord Maurice," the knight said. He went to pick the boy up, but the boy moved out of reach.

"Really, I'm fine," Rumpelstiltskin assured. The knight scoffed.

"Come on." He picked the boy up successfully and planted him on the back of his horse. The boy protested a lot, but the knight finally succeeded in getting the boy to the castle. The knight arrived at the castle and practically dragged the boy inside. He brought him to the lord and he stared down at the boy.

"Now who might you be?" the lord asked. The boy struggled in the knight's grip. Rumpelstiltskin was always an independent soul and never really wanted to live in a castle with a lord; or anyone for that matter. He met the lord's gaze with his own.

"Rumpelstiltskin," the boy said with a certain hardness to his voice. The lord smiled.

"Oh, so you're the one my daughter was telling me about. Nice to meet you. I am Maurice but you can call me Moe if you wish," the lord said. He turned to one of his servants.

"Find the young lad a room, will you?" The servant nodded and took Rumpelstiltskin's arm and led him into a long hall. The hall had many doors. The servant stopped before one and opened it and led the boy inside.

"This will be your room. There's clothing and supplies you may use at your leisure," the servant said. He turned and left the boy and the room. Rumpelstiltskin walked to the bed and sat. This was boring, he thought. He missed the forest already. He had made the wilderness his home for over a year. There was a reason he never wanted to live with others. He wanted to prove to himself he didn't need his father. He never told Belle what his father did to him; what he told him. Rumpelstiltskin's father expected the boy to die after a week or so out of the house. Rumpelstiltskin wanted to prove his father wrong. He wanted to be able to thrive without help and one day find his father and show him that he was wrong. He wanted to show his father that his son was a survivor.

A sudden knock on the door startled Rumpelstiltskin back to reality. He got up from the bed and went to the door and opened it. Belle stood on the other side. She looked upset.

"Can I come in?" she asked. Rumpelstiltskin nodded. Belle pushed past him and sat on the bed. At first, Rumpelstiltskin felt defensive because it was his bed, then remembered it was _her _castle. He walked over and joined her.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly.

"For what?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"I didn't want him to bring you in. You didn't seem like you wanted to live here. I just wanted the ogre killed; I didn't want them to bring you here," she said. She sounded so much older that she looked, the boy thought.

"Don't be sorry," was all the boy could think to say. Belle shifted her position.

"What happened?" she asked.

"There was this, this monster that came to my campsite. It was huge and green and had no hair. Its hands were as big as its head, or even bigger. It was going to hurt me when one of your knights came up and shot it. It fell over and crushed my camp. I tried to tell the knight to leave me, but he wouldn't listen," the boy explained.

"So it _was _the ogre!" Belle exclaimed.

"The what?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"Ogre. They're big monsters like you described. They destroy things for no reason. My papa has knights that fight wars with the ogres," Belle said. For the first time ever, Rumpelstiltskin wore an expression of surprise.

"_Wars_? With _them_?" he asked, bewildered. Belle nodded.

"Wow," Rumpelstiltskin said, "I'd hate to be on the bad side of your papa's army." Belle laughed.

"Yep. He likes to ensure safety on the castle as much as he can," she said. Rumpelstiltskin cocked his head.

"Ensure?" he asked. Belle frowned, then remembered that her friend had not been taught to read and therefore knew less words than her.

"It means to make sure of something. My papa likes to make sure the castle is safe," she clarified. Rumpelstiltskin nodded, understanding.

"Do you, do you wanna start on the reading lesson or..?" Belle asked tentatively. Rumpelstiltskin gave a tiny smile.

"Sure," he said. Belle smiled back. She liked it when people smiled. It made them look so much prettier. Rumpelstiltskin wore a smile so very rarely, it was a nice chance of scenery. Belle got up and went to her desk and pulled out paper and pencils and a book to write on, then joined Rumpelstiltskin back on the bed.

"Okay, first, do you know the alphabet? The letters?" Belle asked. Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes in thought.

"I know a few letters. I know my name starts with the letter called 'R'," he said.

"So you don't know the whole alphabet?" Belle confirmed. He shook his golded-haired head.

"Alright," Belle said. She took the book and put a piece of paper on it. She printed each letter of the alphabet, capital and lowercase, and left a space beside each pair of letters.

"Okay the letters join to form sounds and words. Each letter has a different sound. You just need to learn what sounds each letters make," she said. She caught him nod in the corner of her eye. She handed him the book and paper and pencil.

"Do you know which hand is stronger?" she asked.

"The right one is steadier when I shoot," he suggested. Belle put the pencil in his right hand.

"Then this is most likely the hand you write with," she said. He nodded.

"Okay, now try to write each letter. Each letter has a lowercase and uppercase version. You'll need to know both."

"I thought you were teaching reading," he said. He didn't seem irritated or sarcastic, but genuinely curious.

"To be able to read, you need to be able to know words and letters so you know what's happening in the thing you're reading," Belle clarified.

"Oh, right," Rumpelstiltskin said. He held the pencil in a clutched fist. Belle reached over and adjusted his hold until it was like a normal pencil hold. He began to copy each letter. As he wrote them, Belle would say each one's name. When he finally finished, Belle looked at his progress. It was good; she was impressed. He was indeed a fast learner. Quite like herself.

"Now, the letters are arranged in two categories: vowels and consonants," she said. "The vowels are these." She reached over and put a circle around each vowel.

"The consonants are these." She put a square around each consonant.

"The circles surround the vowels and the squares surround the consonants. Can you remember that?" she asked.

"I know the letters 'V' and 'C' so can we just put a small 'V' by the vowels and a small 'C' by the consonants?" he asked. Belle was right impressed. He was very smart.

"Sure," she said with a wide grin. She erased the circles and squares and put the labels to the corresponding letters.

"You're sure that won't mess you up, having the little 'V' and 'C' all over the paper?" she asked, wanting to make sure the amount of letters on one paper didn't overwhelm him. He nodded.

"It's better like this. There's less things crowded onto the paper," he pointed out. Belle proceeded and taught him what each letter's sound was. He had a little trouble with the "silent E" concept, but finally caught on. Belle looked down at their paper, satisfied that she succeeded in teaching him so much about letters in so little time.

"Now, onto words." The two of them spent hours working on reading skills, which were picked up very quickly by her student. They had gotten through the two and three letter words, and even started on some four letter words. He was catching on very easily, and Belle wondered for the millionth time why on Earth the boy's father had not wanted to keep him. He was a fast learner and was good with a bow. He could do his father proud if his father would just let him in.

A while later, Belle's voice was getting uncharacteristically tired and scratchy.

"I think that's enough for today," Belle said. Rumpelstiltskin nodded.

"Me, too." He had certainly come out of his shell more. He was more talkative and smiled more. Maybe he just needed a friend.

A knock on the door startled Belle. She rose to answer it. It was one of her papa's servants summoning them for dinner. Belle glanced at the window in Rumpelstiltskin's room. Dusk was setting upon the land. Belle was surprised. The day had gone by so fast. Belle and Rumpelstiltskin followed the servant to the dining room. Belle took her usual spot at the table and told her friend to sit across from her, on her papa's other side. The maids brought out the dinner, ham and soup. Rumpelstiltskin looked down at the food as if it were from another planet. He attempted to eat the soup with his hands. Belle laughed.

"You eat the soup, the stuff in the bowl, with the thing that looks like a circle on a stick. That's called a spoon," she said. He looked down at the set of silverware beside the plate. Belle thought she caught the faintest tint of red on the boy's cheeks.

"Ah, right," he said, picking up the spoon. "I knew that." Belle grinned.

-X-

Rumpelstiltskin sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window in room. Dinner had ended hours ago and Belle had said bedtime was around nine, which was half an hour ago. Rumpelstiltskin tried to relax into the bed, but found that he couldn't. The soft mattress was much different than the hard, packed earth in the woods. Rumpelstiltskin missed the woods. He missed the sound of the wilderness and the cool of the breeze.

He had relaxed some with Belle, but once she had retired for the night, he felt tense all over again. He felt like he wasn't meant to live in a castle. He needed to be outside where the air was fresh and the smells of dinner didn't linger into the night. He rolled onto his belly and rested his chin on the windowsill. Each time he breathed out, a small circle of fog appeared on the window, then disappeared, only to reappear when he exhaled again. He watched small snowflakes fall from the sky and wondered what was of the ogre. He wondered if it still laid, dead atop his camp.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed and rolled onto his back. Something in his pants pocked crinkled and he reached in it and pulled out a small square of paper. He stared at the photograph and into the piercing of his father's eyes. The photograph was one of his parents. None of the photos that included his father looked happy. His father was never happy. He was never satisfied. All that ever interested him was how much he could lose at poker and how that would affect his alcohol budget.

He glanced at his mother. Rumpelstiltskin had his mother's eyes. They were a deep brown with amber mixed in. Rumpelstiltskin loved his eyes. He praised the gods he wasn't stuck with his father's cold gray eyes. At least some part of his mother remained with him. All he had to do was look in the mirror and she was there, staring right back at him. He was grateful his mother was looking back at him and not his father.

Rumpelstiltskin fell asleep with these thoughts swirling around his mind and that led to yet another nightmare-haunted, restless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Sorry for the late (and god-awfully short) update, but I had testing and crap so yeah. OkAy So WhO sAw SuNdAy'S ePiSoDe (3/16)? "Feed the madness and it feeds on you." WTF?!**_

_**Anyhoo... This chapter will be a bit darker. The angst will begin to set in from now on so expect longer chapters (hopefully).**_

_**Also, updates will be weekly most likely now. This week is my spring break so I may update more often this week. Enjoy and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.**_

**Chapter four**

_The door slammed shut, waking both the mother and her son with a start. _

_ "Where's my damn food, woman?" a voice demanded. The mother, still groggy from sleep, stood up right away and shuffled quickly to the kitchen. The man standing by the door threw his overcoat on the ground, sending droplets of water flying across the room for it had been pouring when he walked home. The woman got out an iron pan and put it on the stove and began heating it. She hastily went to the icebox and found a mere half-pound of goat meat that she had managed to buy with all of the family's remaining food coins. She unwrapped it and put it in the pan._

_ "Hurry!" the man roared. The boy clutched the blankets on which he and his mother had been sleeping close to his face. They smelled like her, and it gave him comfort for a moment. The man took off his leather belt he had stolen from one of the town elders and clutched it in a burly fist._

_ "I said hurry!" He raised his fist and the boy looked away as the belt made contact with the woman's shoulder. He didn't need to look to see the silent tears that fell from his mother's soft eyes. The boy's father roared and whipped his wife again, this time harder. So hard, the boy was certain it had drawn blood. _

_ The woman got a plate from the cupboard and put the meat on, then found a stale roll and added it on. She hesitated before handing the plate to her red-faced husband. He took one look at it, then slammed it on the floor, causing the plate to shatter._

_ "If this is all you can give me, then I'm leaving!" he yelled. The woman looked at him with teary eyes._

_ "If you didn't use all the money on drinks, then you'd have more." Her words were firm, but her tone was fragile, like the plate whose shattered remains lay scattered across the floor. The man stared at her dangerously._

_ "What did you say?" he snarled. The woman crouched down and began cleaning up the plate._

_ "Bitch! You listen to me when I'm speaking!" The man grabbed the woman by the hair and slammed her against the wall. The boy dove under the blanket and covered his head so he couldn't see his mother being tortured._

_ The woman could smell the alcohol on the man's breath. _

_ "What. Did. You. Say?" he growled. The woman tried to speak, but she couldn't find the voice or the courage. The man dropped the belt and wrapped his thick fingers around the woman's neck, cutting off her breathing. The boy squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in his own tears. He tried his hardest to stop the noises that were made when he cried, but they escaped his lips with full force. He heard the sound of punching and silent screaming. It went on for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, he heard a loud thump, and the sounds of struggling ceased. Tentatively, he uncovered his head and saw exactly what he never hoped to see- his mother's lifeless body on the floor, blood seeping into the wood._

_ The man turned and faced his boy, eyes feral and hands covered in thick blood. He crossed the room in two gigantic strides and grabbed the boy by the collar. He carried him out of the house and across the yard and into the woods behind the house. He threw the boy into the mud and stared down at him._

_ "Run. Run away, and never ever return," the man rasped. "I was never meant to be a father, and now I won't have to bother with worrying about it." The boy tried to get up, but he had landed bad on his ankle and found himself unable to move. _

_ "Papa!" he cried into the night, after the diminishing form of his father._

_ "Don't worry, Rumple. You'll see your Mama soon." Those words were the last words the boy ever heard from his father. He laid in the mud, bleeding and freezing, and cried himself to sleep._

Rumpelstiltskin woke with a start. There was a figure looming over him. He blinked a few times, then his eyes focused on Belle. She was crouched over him, still dressed in her nightclothes. He glanced at his window and saw that dawn was still far off.

"What? What happened?" she asked, almost frantically. Rumpelstiltskin caught his breath, the sat up in the bed and leaned against the headrest.

"What- what would tell you something happened?" he asked shakily. Belle stared at him for a few seconds.

"You were screaming in your sleep. Surely the whole castle heard you," she said, then her voice softened. "You were having a nightmare of your mother, weren't you?" Rumpelstiltskin bit his lip.

"Yes," he admitted quietly. "How did you know?" Belle sat back into a criss-cross position.

"Because I had them too. Sometimes I still do. I recognize the scream because I screamed like that before Papa would come in and comfort me," she said. Rumpelstiltskin could see the regret on her face as soon as the words left her mouth.

"No, I didn't-" Rumpelstiltskin cut her off.

"No. It's okay. Not your fault my father was an asshole." Belle's eyes widened, but she seemed to brush it off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head quickly. He didn't need to talk, he needed air. He got out of the bed and pushed past Belle, who turned and followed him.

"Rumpelstiltskin, wait!" she called after him. He didn't turn, just kept walking. Soon, he found himself at the front door of the castle. He was about to go out when a hand on his stopped him.

"Wait. If, if you want to sneak out, follow me. There are guards outside these doors," she said. Rumpelstiltskin glanced at their joined hands, then at Belle. He looked down and nodded, unclasping their hands. He followed the girl to a small bathroom that had a window above the toilet. She climbed expertly onto the toilet and opened the window, then hopped quietly down.

"Through there," she said curtly. Rumpelstiltskin climbed onto the toilet with less grace, but still managed. He was halfway out of the window when he turned and faced Belle.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked.

"Because I know you don't belong here," she replied simply. Rumpelstiltskin could detect the sadness in her voice. He had been at the castle for a few weeks. Was it that she would miss him being there all the time? He shook his head. He was nothing special to her, just a friend. She couldn't be that upset.

"Thank you." He turned to leave, then her voice stopped him.

"If you ever want to return, come to this window. It will always be unlocked," she said. "I will still visit you, just keep watch for the flashing light in the tower." Rumpelstiltskin hesitated, then pushed his way out the window.

Belle watched him disappear into the night. She hoped he would come back to visit, because something told her this wasn't just a walk. Honestly, she would miss him living at the castle, but she wished him well wherever he was headed.

-X-

Rumpelstiltskin trekked through the woods and snow. He hadn't gotten a mile before he heard the low snarl. He instantly reached for his crossbow before remembering it was still at his old camp. He glanced frantically around him and searched for the fur or the gleam of piercing yellow eyes. He never saw them. He only heard the sound of the wolf's leap, then everything went black.

-X-

"Belle, honey. Please tell me what happened to him." Belle stared at her plate. Rumpelstiltskin had been gone a day, and her father was now questioning it.

"I told you, Papa, I don't know." Belle hated lying to her father, but she knew if she told him that the boy had run off then her father would surely send knights to bring the boy back. She knew Rumpelstiltskin would hate her for that. She couldn't risk losing her friend any more than she already had.

"Belle," he pressed.

"I don't _know_," she insisted. Her father looked at her for a moment, then sat back in his chair.

"Alright. You said he was living out there before. I suppose he will be fine," he said. _Yes, now you get it_, Belle thought. Belle finished her supper, then walked back toward her room. Instead of going in her room, however, she walked into Rumpelstiltskin's old room. The bed had been made in the morning and the room cleaned. It still smelled like him- snow and trees and earth. She crawled onto his bed and laid on her belly and looked out the window. Snow had began to fall lightly and was already filling his tracks. For some reason, tears fell from her eyes. She wiped her eyes and scolded herself. He was fine, she told herself. He was fine.


End file.
